Jump to Main Content

Research Synopsis

Our research is at the crossroads of physical and analytical electrochemistry and is generally focused on elucidating the relationship between the physical, chemical and electronic properties of various carbon electrode materials and their performance in electrochemical measurements and devices. Boron-doped microcrystalline, nanocrystalline and ultrananocrystalline diamond thin-films and coated powders are electrode materials we routinely work with. These materials are synthesized in the laboratory by chemical vapor deposition methods, characterized and utilized in various electrochemical applications. Generally speaking, diamond offers significant improvements over commonly used sp² carbon electrodes in terms of (i) detection figures of merit in electroanalytical measurements, and (ii) dimensional stability and corrosion resistance.  Other carbon materials of interest are graphene, tetrahedral amorphous carbon and hybrid sp²-sp³ materials.

Ongoing research projects in the group include:

• Optically transparent diamond and diamond-like carbon thin-film electrodes for chemical analysis using spectroelectrochemical methods (UV/Vis and IR).
• High surface area and electrically conducting diamond powders for use as  (i) an advanced electrocatalyst support in PEM fuel cells, (ii) an electrode for electrochemical double layer capacitors, and (iii) a stationary phase for electrochemically-modulated liquid chromatography.
• Investigation of redox reaction kinetics and mechanisms at chemically-modified diamond, tetrahedral amorphous carbon and graphene.
• Characterization of the formation and corrosion protection mechanisms afforded by trichrome process coatings (TCP) coated on aerospace aluminum alloys.
• Carbon microelectrodes and electrochemical methods for studying catecholamine release from single adrenal chromaffin cells isolated from healthy and hypertensive rodents.
• Diamond microelectrodes and electrochemical methods for studying serotonin release from single enterochromaffin cells isolated from the mucosa of test animals.
• Studies of excitatory and inhibitory neuromuscular signaling mechanisms in the gastrointestinal tract of human and animal models, and how these control mechanisms are altered in functional bowel disorders.
• Studies of neurogenic control mechanisms of arterial and venous tone and how these control mechanisms are altered in human and animal models.
• Diamond microelectrode arrays for use in vitro to measure local concentration changes of neurotransmitters.